and us going to school. and my mom sort of trying to make it all happen in the house. >> what did they want you to do? >> oh my god, i mean, immigrant, conservative family, and a kid who they began to dawn that this kid was kind of bookish and kind of smart. my mom was, like, "hey, i want you to be a doctor. and if things go really bad, be an engineer. and if things go super bad, be a lawyer." but nothing beyond that. >> and your father? >> my dad was super conservative. my dad was to the rifle range every sunday. we went to the englishtown rifle range in new jersey. and my dad always said his dream for us is he hoped we would be real men. and that did not including being an artist, i'll tell you that. >> so what did he think when you said, "i'm going to be a writer"? >> well, by then they had separated. because i couldn't imagine the conversations we would have had if i told him. because my dad was that kind of dude, who was just he thought that that wasn't masculine, that that wasn't manly. and in many way